Australia is a clever country – the Australian Defence Force (ADF), though small, is one of the most sophisticated and capable of its size in the world. It employs high-technology weapons and equipment, high levels of training and carefully considered operational doctrine to ‘punch above its weight’ wherever it operates.

The ADF invests heavily in the capabilities required to be interoperable with its key allies, the United States of America and the United Kingdom, and to be a relevant and effective partner in coalition operations.

Australia has privileged access to the high-technology arsenals of Britain and America. Therefore it maintains a capability edge that is based on the exclusive (and undeniably smart) use of technology that is denied to most, if not all, of its neighbours and potential allies.

So why doesn’t the ADF source more of its equipment, or ‘capability’, more broadly, from Australia? If Australia is spending over AUD$300 million a year on defence-related R&D and Science & Technology (S&T) work, is enough of the resulting Intellectual Property (IP) finding its way into the service of the ADF?

The editor is studying this issue as part of a Ph.D he is undertaking at the University of Adelaide – the title of his Ph.D thesis is: “Factors Affecting the Successful Commercialisation of Defence-Related Intellectual Property”.

While the research is far from complete, some insights have emerged and these will be made available to readers and researchers on this web site as they become available.

Also, Survey Forms and Questionnaires will also be posted on this page so that interested parties can download or study them when required.